How are administrative agencies organized?

An administrative agency is organized differently depending upon whether it is an executive or independent agency.

An independent agency is generally organized as a board with a chairman to control administrative and procedural matters. 

An executive agency generally organized and run under the purview of an executive appointee.

What are Executive Agencies?

An executive agency falls under the supervision of a member of the President's cabinet. 

As such, a single individual (director or secretary) sits at the head of the agency. 

The director will generally act as the senior executive administering the agency. 

The director will appoint subordinate officers and authorize the hiring of agency staff.

What are Independent Agencies?

Independent agencies generally have a controlling board or commission that governs the agency. 

The board will generally consist of 5 to 7 members, one of whom is the chair. The chairperson has the power to appoint staff for the agency. 

The agency board will serve a high-level governance function. It will appoint or elect an executive director for administration as the chief operating official of the agency. 

The executive director supervises administrative functions, such as personnel matters and budgeting.

What is the Operational Structure of Agencies?

Outside of the leadership and governance structure, the operational structure of most agencies is similar. 

The agency secretary keeps board-meeting minutes and is in charge of all agency publication requirements. 

The structure of the agency may be centralized or it may have various regional offices. 

Regulatory administrative agencies generally have regional offices that investigate alleged violations of the law. 

Agencies may also establish advisory councils. 

The advisory councils are made up of agency outsiders who are selected because of their expertise. 

They provide a level of interaction between the regulators and those being regulated.

Quasi-Judicial Staff Members

The quasi-judicial staff within an administrative agency generally consists of numerous administrative law judges and their support personnel.

• Fact Finders - Administrative law judges perform the adjudicative, fact-finding functions in disputes between the agency and those regulated. As such, the quasi-judicial staff members have a separate reporting structure from the rest of the agency. This separation serves to ensure that the quasi-judicial function is carried out in an impartial manner. Like Article III judges, administrative judges have immunity from liability for damages based on their decisions.
• Appeals or Request for Review - Once the administrative law judge makes a decision in a dispute, a party unhappy with the decision may appeal the decision either to an internal board established to hear appeals, the agency's governing board, or the cabinet-level official. Many state administrative law judges are not organized separately from the administrative agency. The administrative law judge is an employee of the agency. This relationship gives rise to a perception of bias. Other states establish an Office of Administrative Hearings that provides impartial administrative law judges to preside over administrative hearings.

The organization of the judicial staff will vary slightly between administrative agencies, but the primary role of administrative law personnel remains constant. 

Related Content

• What are Administrative Agencies?
• What are the functions of Agencies?
• What is the authority for Administrative Agencies?
• How are key agency personnel appointed and removed?